An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth

A holy man to Hindus, a hero to Muslims, and a criminal to the British, Mohandas K. Gandhi was an inspiring figure of the 20th century, a man whose quest to live in accord with God’s highest truth led him to initiate massive campaigns against racism, violence, and colonialism.

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Publisher's Summary

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall — think of it, always."--Gandhi

In 1999, this book was designated as one of the "100 Most Important Spiritual Books of the Twentieth Century" by HarperCollins Publishers.

A holy man to Hindus, a hero to Muslims, and a criminal to the British, Mohandas K. Gandhi was an inspiring figure of the 20th century, a man whose quest to live in accord with God’s highest truth led him to initiate massive campaigns against racism, violence, and colonialism.

From his youthful rebellion against vegetarianism, to his successful law practice in South Africa, his struggle with his own sexual excesses, and his leadership of the movement to free India from British rule, Gandhi describes the story of his life as a series of spiritual “experiments” and explains how he developed his concept of active nonviolent resistance, which propelled the Indian struggle for independence and inspired countless other nonviolent struggles.

The book itself is awesome, needless to say, just like the man who wrote it. Narration is good enough. Bill Wallace tried hard to imitate Gandhi's voice and I would say succeeded for most part. However, the narration clearly fell short of the mark when pronouncing the names of Indian leaders or villages. Considering that this book is a real treasure to own, I would have loved to see this book narrated by someone who can bring more nativity to the listener. John Lee from 'The White Tiger' would have been a perfect fit.

I am East Indian and have read this book before, I wanted to reread this book for a long time but simple did not have the time. With my long daily commute this audiobook was the perfect solution, but I was not prepared the terrible job Bill Wallace does with all the Hindi and Sanskrit words. He could not even correctly pronoun city names or basic geography without me cringing, this take away from the life lessons which are shared by Gandhiji. It shame and sad someone better was not picked to read this book.

Save your money and don't listen to this book, buy the actual book and read it.

M.K Gandhi revolutionized the Indian independence struggle, but this book is more about what made his principles and personal beliefs. Most of the book is about his struggles as a kid and his profession as a lawyer. The three quarter of the book is about his journey back and forth to South Africa and his struggle to get rights and fight against inequality for Indians in South Africa. Indian independence is just the last 5 hours or so of the book. The most striking thing which I ever knew about Gandhi was his personal life and his diet which is very well described in the book.

Finally a word for the narrator. I wish the narrator had a better control over the hindi names and words. He would pronounce certain words and I would think for few minutes until I made the link with what actually he meant. He would pronounce 'mussalman' (people who follow Islam) as musclemen, which would sound ridiculous in the context.

Overall a must read for anyone who is interested in world politics and history. A great political and historical figure who has inspired many freedom fighters and an epitome of humility.

It would be hard to exaggerate how disappointed I am in this audio. Bill Wallace's voice, diction, and pacing - while probably excellent for many other narrations - take my mind so far away from Gandhi's words that I feel like I'm listening to the reading of a cookbook. I've tried to make myself relax and listen "past" his voice. I've been so eager to enjoy it: I thought I'd be able to get used to the narration. However, it's so disconnected from the subject of the reading that I can't get past it.

I'm glad others have been able to enjoy what I'm sure is an amazing book. My best advice is to make sure you listen to the sample. I obviously got so excited about the book that I forgot to sample it, and thus I set myself up for disappointment.

From Gandhi's lips to my ears! Gandhi wrote this account in a manner that revealed some of his short comings and most of his accomplishments. I enjoyed the book but was at times a little lost regarding some of the events because Gandhi recounted them as if the reader were already familiar with them. He has always been one of my heros but here he reveals aspects of himself that were disappointing to me. In the final analysis he, like all heros, had his flaws and short comings as any human being does. He manages to show himself as conflicted at times, yet able to prevail in spite of that. Sometimes he shows himself to be stubborn and arrogant, yet at other times flexible and tollerant - If you have always admired Gandhi, be prepared to see him in the raw at times. Having said that, there were times when I had the feeling he was glossing over or slanting things in his favor. He was far more complex a person than I had imagined and this book shows it. Well worth the listen and a good historical account of the times.

Mr wallace needs practise.
He totally butchered a masterpiece with his complete inability to pronounce the simplest native words, let alone the complicated Sanskrit based words/phrases.
What an utter shame!! Because the content is fantastic and really spoke to me inspite of the narrator.
Highly recommended!!!

The determination of one person and sticking to "personal" principles (vows) developed during youthful years.... Found this book motivational! (What can be accomplished in one life time with little concern for personal negative opposition or living comfortably; at times). I recommend this book if you like strong minded persons with many details!

A great story about one mans spiritual journeyand his personal growth as he encounters his Indian roots, colonial racism and subjugation and his own sexuality.Very annoying American accent diminishes a wonderful book.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Paul Robinson

London

4/13/13

Overall

"Ghandi, an example to mankind, with flaws"

This long audiobook of the life of Ghandi, read by Bill Wallace, is a riveting account of one man's struggle against colonial rule. The reading is at first a little odd, with Ghandi's voice given an American accent. However, Wallace's interpretation, with very careful enunciation of the more challenging Indian surnames, becomes a very good way to access the great man. I was fascinated by Ghandi's determination to get a British education, after having been married at the age of 13, and had children as a teenager. Having become a British trained barrister, and fended off the attempts to pair him off with English women (he hadn't shared the information that he was already married), leaving his wife and family for several years, he travelled between India and South Africa, sometimes with and sometimes without the family, to champion the lot of the Indians in South Africa, himself suffering from the racism there, before working tirelessly in India to grow the Congress Party and fight (non-violently of course) for Indian independence from British colonial rule. Explanation of the vows of "brahmacharya" (restraint in sexual, dietary and other areas) and the principle of non-cooperation to achieve political ends non-violently is extremely interesting, as is his relationship with his wife, Kasturba, and his children, who were forced to follow his vegetarian practices, even to the point of refusing life-saving medicines, which, in his wife's case, she did professing (according to Ghandi) complete agreement with his principles.

The book is extremely well written and read, and rates as one of the most accessible and interesting accounts of the life of a great human being.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Annie

Cardiff

3/12/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"I read the reviews, should have listened"

Would you try another book written by Mohandas (Mahatma) K. Gandhi or narrated by Bill Wallace?

No, The narrator put me off listening to this book with his hideous droney Amercian accent and intonation. Another reader commented on this and I thought 'it can't be that bad'. It was. I gave up in part one. He manages to make what should be an interesting text thoroughly boring. Awful.

What will your next listen be?

The new Robert Galbraith book, the Silkworm.

Would you be willing to try another one of Bill Wallace’s performances?

No thank you.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Rhian

swansea, United Kingdom

7/1/10

Overall

"I really wished this had been good"

In the past year I have listened to many autobiographies of great leaders and they all reference Gandhi for inspiration.... But sadly this book was long winded and in places very boring. It does give you all the facts and timelines etc but felt like listening to a boring history teacher who didn't give a dam about if the listener was going to enjoy. This is no reflection on the ideals of the main man himself.

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

Sharon jeffrey

2/12/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"An interesting read."

Hard going at times but inspiring, well worth perseverance with. This book is well read and easy to listen to.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Unknown

7/14/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"an outstanding life story of our hero Gandhi!!"

Would you listen to An Autobiography again? Why?

Yes,surely. I would listen to all my favourite Autobiographies every now and again.

What did you like best about this story?

The think I like the most about this story is that it's coherently written.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

To be honest, I would have liked the narrator to be English rather than an American. But other than that, everything else was fine.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, that's what I originally planned on doing but didn't have enough time to listen to it all in one sitting. I would listen a few chapters every day, and still still enjoy it.

Any additional comments?

I would like the prices to have gone down a bit so that I could buy any book I desire listening to...

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Stephen McGlennon

Portaferry, Northern Irealnd

7/1/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Inspiring"

Where does An Autobiography rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is a great audiobook, and I admit to haveing a hard copy of the book as well.

What did you like best about this story?

Ghandi tells us his process and his struggle with living a life dedicated to truth.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

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